Episode 20: Regent Park Toronto Mayoral Debate - Oct 8, 2014

Listen: 83:33

This week, we present the Regent Park Toronto Mayoral Debate held at Ada Slaight Hall @ Daniels Spectrum on October 8th, 2014. Frontrunners Olivia Chow, John Tory and Ari Goldkind (Doug Ford cancelled the day before) use a lively and substantive debate to offer their solutions for problems vital to the Regent Park community, including affordable housing, child poverty, community safety, youth employment and food security. Special thanks to the Regent Park Mayoral debate Organizing Committee and Regent Park Focus.

Yes, that's our logo in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

Episode 19: Investigative Poetry Night #2 - Climate Change

Edward Keenan

Listen: 48:18

This week, we present a live recording of our second Investigative Poetry Night at La Revolucion, which takes the increasingly dire situation of climate change as its theme. After setting the scene with some works by IP's inventor, Ed Sanders, Louis and Jim host an evening that features poetry by Toronto Star columnist Edward Keenan and cheeky writer

Richard McCarthy and
Indira Nanavati Cadena

Andy Boorman

Andy Boorman, as well as musical interludes from Indira Nanavati Cadena, Richard McCarthy and Michael Keith. A special thanks to the Junction Craft Brewery for sponsorship, and to the crew at La Rev for supporting the local arts and politics scene in the Junction.

Michael Keith

Songs:
You Never Know by Wilco (performed by Richard and Indira)
Genius Next Door by Regina Spektor (performed by Indira)
Beautiful Creatures by Bruce Cockburn
Oh Mother Earth by Neil Young (performed by Michael)

Links:
La Revolucion
Junction Craft Brewery
Edward Keenan
Andy Boorman
Michael Keith
Investigative Poetry

Episode 18 - Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project

Listen: 59:10

This time around, we gathered around a table at the Imperial Pub for a lively and fascinating chat with three advocates from Maggie's: The Toronto Sex Workers Action Project. Maggie’s is an organization run for and by local sex workers whose mission is to ensure that workers of all genders from all areas of the sex trade can live and work with safety and dignity. We talked to Executive Director Jean McDonald, board member Madeleine North and long-time worker and advocate Monica Forrester about the current legal limbo for sex workers in Canada, the drawbacks to the Nordic model and the future of sex work in Canada.

Songs:
The Morning by The Weekend
Private Dancer by Tina Turner
Get Some by Lykke  Li

Links:
Maggie's
Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform
After Bedford
Decriminalization Petition
The Imperial Pub

Episode 17 - Ward Wilson Talks Nuclear Weapons

Photo: www.icanw.org/

Listen: 57:25

At Jim's recording intros and extros

In this episode, we present a lecture by anti-nuclear weapons scholar and activist Ward Wilson. Wilson is the Director of the Rethinking Nuclear Weapons Project at the British American Security Information Council, an independent think tank that analyses international security issues.  His book, 5 Myths About Nuclear Weapons (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 2013) challenges the belief that these weapons are militarily useful. In March 2014, Wilson gave a speech at an event hosted by Science for Peace, a Canadian group of natural
scientists, engineers, social scientists and scholars in the humanities that seeks to understand and act against the forces that make for militarism, environmental destruction, and social injustice here and abroad. For more information, visit to scienceforpeace.ca 

Song List:
Nuclear War by Sun Ra
Radioactivity by Kraftwerk
We Almost Lost Detroit by Gil Scott-Heron

Links:

Science for Peace

British American Security Information Council

International Studies Association 55th Annual Convention

Episode 16 - Austerity and the Arts

From left to right: Carmen, Jim and Louis.

 LISTEN - 61:16

This week, we headed down to the Junction highlight Smash, a beautiful, vast, locally-owned showroom for high quality vintage material, furnishings, and fixtures to catch up with Carmen Victor. Carmen is an artist, curator and board member of YYZ Artist Outlet, one of Toronto's most established artist-run centres, who has a long and varied history of engagement with arts and culture  organizations in Canada.

Thanks again to Alder for being such a great host!

We had a loose, fiery and funky chat about the nature and effects of Harper's austerity cuts on the arts, the enduring 
value of the arts of Canada 
and some rays of hope for the 
future.

That's an extra for a movie being filmed outside of Smash
during our interview.

Song List:

Starfucker by Julius
Frankencottage by Dark Mean
Gravity's Rainbow by Klaxon

Guest Links:
Carmen Victor

YYZ Artists' Outlet

Fuse Magazine
Smash

Episode 15 - Mi'kmaq Warriors Speaking Tour Comes to Toronto

LISTEN - 52:08

This show catches a fiery talk by Mi'kmaq Warriors Suzanne Patles and Coady Jipol at The Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre in Toronto's East end. 

Patles and Jipol were on a speaking tour to spread information about their work resisting the encroachment of industrial fracking in the area surrounding Elsipogtog First Nation in New Brunswick, and the legal battles that followed in its wake.

Song List:
Warrior Song - Live From Event


Guest Links:
Mi'kmaq Blockade
Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre

Call for an Inquiry into the 2011 Election Fraud

I asked Jim what I should write a blog post on and he suggested this petition calling for an inquiry into the fraud in the last federal elections, and the robocalls that targeted non-conservative voters.  As always, Jim's innate understanding of important current issues are keen, especially in light of The Fair Elections Act being presented by the Conservatives.  This Act- written and proposed without any input from the Chief Electoral Officer- does nothing to try and ensure that similar fraud cannot happen in the future.  And it's no coincidence that it's being presented in the election scandal's wake.  It feels more like an attack and a strategy than a genuine attempt to improve the election process.  If you think this Act is in anyway something to be proud of, try finding any reference to it on the Conservative's website.

Episode 14 - Sistering, A Woman's Place - Interview with Carol Allain

from left, Carol, Louis and Jim at Sistering

LISTEN - 59:05

Jim and I visited Carol Allain at Sistering, in Toronto, for this episode.  Sistering is a women's organization providing support through programs that enable greater control over their lives. 

This interview is our contribution to the twelfth annual NCRA Homelessness Marathon airing Feb 26th, 2014 from 5pm to 7am on 88.5FM CJSR in Edmonton and streaming from their website at cjrsnews.com. 

Items from Inspirations Studio on sale at Sistering

Carol Allain presently manages Drop In services for the women who need Sistering’s supports and services. 

Items from the Spun Studio on sale at Sistering.

Song List:
Faith Nolan - The Richest in the World
Mighty Diamonds - I Need A Roof
Pete Seeger - Banks Of Marble



Guest Links:
Sistering
Spun Studio
Inspirations Studio
Homelessness Marathon